Untitled
by LadyReeana
Summary: Why is Telford such a jerk?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Untitled  
Author: Carrie Key  
Disclaimers: It's MGM, and SciFi (the other way is stupid), and very little of this is mine. I did use some lyrics from the Beatles song, "Paperback Writer" by John Lennon.  
Summary: Why is Telford such a jerk most of the time?  
Author note: Trying not to let this one run a muck, so it may well be a one-shot. I do have other things I need to be working on...

He loved coming down here each day, after breakfast. Eli Wallace always found something interesting when he did, and today was no different. Today she was at the computer terminal and dancing to what ever music she decided on today on the mp3 player. As Eli approached Dr. Kira Amuro, he quickly discovered the song she was listening to, as she belted out a few lines; "Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? It took me years to write, will you take a look? Based on a novel by a man named Lear, And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,  
Paperback writer."

She had a nice voice. If not for his mom, Eli would never have known the song made famous by the Beatles. In the time since they all arrived on board the Destiny, Kira was one of the few who kept an upbeat attitude, and did not let Dr. Rush get to her like the rest did. She always had interesting things to say and she always checked on him, even when he didn't come down and visit her while she was working. She told him once, "I'm the senior member of the Stargate Program here; I better make sure the freshman is ok."

He watched her for another minute before daring to tap her shoulder. She didn't jump, just looked over at him, smiling when she recognized him. "Meal time over already?"

"Yup, you missed a great story by the Colonel about his time aboard the Prometheus." Eli stole a glance at the terminal. Unlike Dr. Rush, Kira did not fiercely protect her work. "What's this?"

"I think I've uncovered a schematic for the ship, a detailed one, not the map that Rush found at first." She punched a few keys on the terminal, bringing up a large hologram before them.

"You think?" he chided.

"Actually, I'm positive I did." They both stared at the visual before for a minute, taking in the shear size of _Destiny_. "I figure this blinking blip is us," Kira points to a section. I'm not sure if it can do anything else. Rush will know when he wakes up."

"That is so cool. I wonder if it could help us figure out how to unlock the rest of the ship?" Eli though aloud.

"I hope so."

Eli grinned at her, "So, a Beatles fan?"

"Of course! George was my favorite." She turned back to the terminal, chuckling a little.

"I would have pegged you for a Ringo fan."

"Nah, nose is too big. I don't like 'em that big." The comfortable silence that followed showed how well the two were getting along. Eli made no mistake that there could ever be anything romantic with Kira, but he felt comfortable around her. "So what should we discuss today?"

"Well, I believe yesterday you went over the different System Lords of the Goa'uld. I think you left off on Yu." He almost said the joke, but refrained. When she had talked about him, she warned Eli that many people had joked about the System Lord's name and that it was now a dead horse.

"Yes, Lord Yu, who turned out to be a valuable ally towards the end." She didn't miss a beat as she talked to Eli, giving him more information on the deceased System Lord as she read the screen on the terminal.

"Ah, System Lords again today, Kira? Perhaps you expect us to be attacked by them any day now. Perhaps Amaterasu will make an appearance?" Dr. Nicholas Rush entered the room, notebook in hand.

"Very funny, Nicholas." She punched the same sequence of keys from earlier, bringing up the hologram of _Destiny_. "And while you were taking in your beauty rest, look at what I found."

"Is that what I think it is?" Rush looked at it in wonder.

"If you think it's a schematic, then you have won the booby prize." Kira moved over so Rush could get in. He punched a few more keys, his eyes darting back and forth from the hologram to the terminal. The picture changed slightly, showing different angles of the ship, finally zooming in on the spot with the blinking light. "That would be us."

"Yeah, we guessed that…" Eli started.

Rush ignored him, "Good work, Dr. Amuro. Once I've figured out just what we can do with this, I'll have Young send out some people to investigate."

"Maybe I could send a Kino?" Eli asked, hopefully.

"Yes, Eli, I believe in some cases that would be wise." Finally he looked up from his work, over at Kira. "Anything else of interest?"

"Not really. More jargon and jumbles I don't quite understand, but I was planning on seeing a few of the scientists later and pick their brains. Nothing major."

"Wow, that's incredible." Colonel Young's voice came from behind them.

"Colonel Young, wonderful. I was going to send for you…" Rush turned to face the man, only to stop mid-sentence.

"Colonel Telford?" Kira asked.

"Yes, Kira." He walked into the room, using the gun/crutch of Young's to steady his leg.

"I see. Well, since you are here, Col Telford…"

Telford raised Young's hand to silence the scientist. "Actually I'm here to see Dr. Amuro. If you will excuse me and the good doctor I have a message from General O'Neill for her."

"Say it here, David. Jack wont mind." Eli had never seen Dr. Amuro act like this around anyone. Even Dr. Rush didn't have Kira standing with her arms crossed and the dirtiest look on her face on his worst days.

"Actually, yes, the _General_ will mind." Telford put a lot of stress on the General.

"Fine, you have five minutes. No more than. Jack is a simple man, so you shouldn't need more than that." On that note she left the room, not saying another word. Colonel Young's face looked horrified.

"Trouble in paradise, Colonel?" Rush gave Telford an evil look.

"Don't start Rush!" Telford warned, turning to chase after Kira. Which was slow coming with Young's still injured leg.

"What was that all about?" Eli asked.

"Probably a lover's spat and no concern of ours." Rush turned back to the hologram.

"Lover's spat?" Eli was lost.

"She never told you?"

"Tell me what?"

Rush laughed at Eli, "Your girlfriend there is married to Colonel Telford. I can't believe she never told you."

"Yeah, funny… wait? You're serious?" Eli was expecting this be part of some joke of Rush's, not that he thought the doctor had a sense of humor.

"I am. Seven years they've been together."

"No wonder he acts like a jackass when he's here." Eli summed it up perfectly.

***

"So, David, what was so important that you had to lie about it?" Kira had known the moment she looked at Colonel Young's body that Everett was not there. David held himself differently and always had this certain look on his face when he saw her for the first time in a while.

"What makes you think I lied?" he asked her as he scouted out the room she had led him to.

"I know your tells. We're alone. Spill it." She really didn't mean to get so defensive around him, but considering they'd been aboard this ship for almost two weeks and this was the first time he'd actually sought her out, she felt she was entitled.

"Fine. I received the divorce papers. I can't believe you were serious about it! What about our last night together? I thought we'd agreed to try again once the Icarus Project was done." He felt hurt and betrayed. He wasn't going to win any 'Husband of the Year' awards, but he honestly thought she wasn't going to go through with the divorce.

"I had told my lawyer to go ahead with it before I left on the Hammond to see Dr. Rush." She closed the space in between them, her face inches from his. "And before you acted like a complete ass and ignored me since I've been on this damn ship, I was going to go ahead and have my lawyer destroy them and call the proceedings off. But, since you were an ass, you will sign those papers and you won't have to worry about me being such an inconvenience to you anymore." Tears start to roll down her cheeks.

"What the hell has Telford been up to now?" Colonel Young questioned, alarmed to have the short, Asian woman in his face.

"Everett?" Young wasn't the only one alarmed.

"It's me, Kira. What did he do now?" Colonel Young and Kira were by far close friends, but she was a rarity in the entire Stargate Program: one of the longest lasting members to still be apart of the program and even rarer, to be alive. He felt a certain respect for the civilian who started out as Dr. Jackson's research assistant and ended up becoming head of the Research Department for the entire program.

"He finally decided to look me up and messed it up royally. As usual." She wiped the tears away, feeling embarrassed for having had that display in front of him.

"General O'Neill warned me that when I got back I might want to check on you. That David was being (and I quote) 'an ass'."

"I'll be all right." She hugs him. "Um, I have found something you might want to see. Not sure if Dr. Rush has been able to figure it out any further, but it could prove useful in opening up the rest of the ship."

Colonel Young let it slide that she changed the subject, knowing she would tackle it when she was good and ready. Perhaps Eli might be able to help her with it. He'd noticed they were becoming closer. He hoped Colonel Telford didn't take it the wrong way though. It was pretty obvious she still had feelings for her husband and was not making designs on any other man here. "Lead the way, Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Untitled  
Author: Carrie Key  
Disclaimers: It's MGM, and SciFi (the other way is stupid), and very little of this is mine.  
Summary: Why is Telford such a jerk most of the time?  
Author note: Not so much a one shot anymore. And in case you havn't noticed yet, spoilers do abound here. Tread carefullly should you not want to be spoiled.

Untitled 2/?

Colonel Telford was at a loss. One minute he had been onboard _The Destiny_, talking with Kira and then the next, he was back at the Pentagon with a confused MP outside the door. Apparently he'd been shouting his response to what Kira had told him. If General O'Neill hadn't come in, he would have used the stones immediately so he could finish the downward spiraling conversation with his wife.

Kira, his wife. The woman who had once looked to him to protect and love her. The woman he needed to get his strength from. Things had been far from perfect between them, had been for some time. He wasn't sure exactly when things had gone downhill for them, but a year ago he'd come back from a mission aboard the Daedalus to find she'd moved out. He hadn't realized till then that there had been a problem. After several blowout arguments, one ending with General Landry threatening to escort them both off base, he decided he would leave Earth. He requested the CAG position for the 302 squads on board the Hammond. Then came Icarus. His contact with Kira had been sporadic at best and he'd heard through the rumor mill that she and some Arab guy had been seeing each other.

"Got a penny?"

The General's voice yanked him from his thoughts. Telford was sitting in the cafeteria in the Pentagon, General Jack O'Neill standing by his table. "Sir!" Telford exclaimed, standing up to salute.

"Sit down, Telford. This isn't an official visit," Jack paused for a moment. "Yet."

Telford waited for his superior to be seated before he sat down again. "What brings you here, sir?"

"Well," Jack placed a large manila envelope on the table. "I asked you for a penny. I'm short on cash and would like some Jell-O. Saw you sitting here, thinking so hard, and well, you got a penny for those thoughts?"

"I think you know, General." Telford lowered his eyes a bit ashamed of his previous actions.

"Oh, I can guess it has to do with the MP that couldn't understand why you called him a bitch." The older man loosened his tie a bit. Jack had never been comfortable in the dress uniforms.

"I never got to finish the conversation with Kira."

"I know." Jack didn't know Telford real well, but was familiar with Kira. Hell, she helped to keep tabs on Daniel in the early days of the SGC.

"What do I do? She wants nothing to do with me." Telford had no idea why he was even bothering the General with this. It was none of his business.

"Well," Jack pushed the envelope over the Colonel. "It might have to do with these papers that you so kindly left out for all to see. Or the fact that today was your first contact with her since this whole fiasco started."

"I was trying to gather information, and it doesn't help that Lt. Johansen sees fit to thwart my every chance…"

"Young told me an interesting tale, David." The tone Jack took was one of a disproving parent. "Kira is the head of the Historical Research Department of the SGC. She has a memory that everyone wishes they had. She is also your wife. Instead of making the logical choice on so many levels of seeking her out (which you would not be blamed for, regardless of your relationship status), what do you do?" Jack doesn't give him a chance to answer. "You put a fellow Colonel's very injured body in jeopardy as well as harass the few allies you have aboard that ship, as well as outright ignore the one VERY reliable source of intel we have at the moment. I know you two have a less than stellar relationship, and I don't care about that."

Jack continued, making Telford sit there, listening, "What does bother me is the fact that Everett is utilizing the walking wikipedia and you aren't. I can imagine she hates you for that. Besides it's the husbandly thing to do, checking up on your wife."

"Sir, I had limited…"

"Bull! That's a cop out and you know it," O'Neill was entering full on General mode. Telford had rarely been at the mercy of perhaps one of the most respected general's of his time, and now he really wished he wasn't. "You didn't even ask if she was ok. Didn't ask where she was. It should be you on that ship instead of her. Then I could just tell Daniel to take care of the fallout, instead of dealing with your pathetic ass myself. But it's not that way."

"I figured you would have learned after nine years in the program how to take care of the scientists and civilians you work with. You ignore them for any length of time and you loose them. And that's when things get dangerous." Jack lowered his voice slightly for this, "You are loosing her. Everett is worried she's cracking. Camille Wray told him that they talked. Apparently you two talked about working things out."

He knew Jack would get to the marriage problems eventually. One of the things that made O'Neill one of the most respected generals was the fact he cared about those under his command. He came close to taking General Hammond's position as the 'father figure' of the Stargate program. Even though the general could be seen as over stepping his bounds with this conversation, Telford knew the older man had been through similar circumstances. He was also aware of the fact that this problem between him and Kira could bring up problems for those on _The Destiny_. "We were. We talked and decided that once the Icarus Project was finished we'd start over again."

Jack shook his head knowingly. "You are an idiot. Why ignore her?"

"I don't kn…" David stammered.

"An idiot, jerk is what you are. I bet you are more pissed that your command was taken away from you and that you didn't end up on that ship." Even though he said it, Jack didn't believe all of it. He wanted to see what David would say in response.

"Permission to be frank, sir?" O'Neill had it all wrong.

"By all means, Colonel." Jack sat back in his seat.

"With all due respect, sir, you are wrong. Yes, I am upset that my command was taken from me. I should be there and not Young. But more than anything I want my wife to come home. I need her here on Earth, and not billions of light years away, facing who knows what. If anything, I've been trying to speed up the process to make that happen. I am more pissed Kira's on that ship than loosing my command. And…" he chokes up a little as the thought appears in his mind. "I've been afraid to face her. To see the look of disappointment on her face. That I can't bring her home yet, or that she might somehow blame me for her being there in the first place."

"And you let that fear drive her away from you. I can see why she sent these papers to you. You don't know her that well, do you?" At that, General O'Neill stood up, ending the conversation between them.

Telford sat there for a while longer in the cafeteria. He was still lost. It was a feeling that he had grown accustomed to. What he hadn't grown accustomed to was Kira not being there. Since the first day he met her she had been a major part of his life. Somewhere along the line he'd lost her. David honestly believed he was getting her back when they had spent that last night together on Icarus Base, before she was to go back to Earth with Senator Armstrong on the Hammond. That was the last time he'd held her in his arms; the last time he'd made love to her. He never considered himself much of a romantic or a sappy person. And Kira seemed content with his harsh, to the letter military outlook. She was from a military family, one that had a long history in both America and Japan.

Grabbing the envelope General O'Neill left behind, Colonel David Telford left the Pentagon for the first time of his own accord since his return to Earth. He had some business to take care of.

****

Life on _The Destiny_ was rough. Things were settling down, but with each new discovery onboard the ship or its surroundings, came the excitement and drama. Eli quickly learned from others that this was fairly standard of any posting within the Stargate Program. Thankfully most of his mornings were pretty much the same. He'd wake up, dress, and then join the others for breakfast. If Dr. Amuro wasn't there, he'd find her afterwards. She was almost always in the command area, assisting Dr. Rush with translations or doing searches of her own through what they could access in the ship's computer. As she worked, they would talk until Dr. Rush showed up, and then the three would normally work together. Eli often felt useless during these times, and many other ones, and Dr. Rush didn't often help quell those feelings. But Kira, along with a few others, tried their best to make sure Eli knew he wasn't. Today was certainly one of those days where he felt less than adequate.

As he stepped closer to the command area, Eli heard Colonel Young's voice. He wasn't at breakfast and TJ mentioned something about an early meeting. He just assumed it meant the colonel was off using the communication stones.

"Look Kira, Jack is pretty adamant about you taking part in the next communiqué. He wants you to verify Dr. Rush's reports."

"No, Everett. I know how Jack works. I've seen him do this to Daniel all the time. I run the report, verifying Rush's findings and then he'll find a way to sequester me with David. David has made it painfully clear he wants nothing more to do with me." Eli was shocked as he got closer to the room. Kira was at the terminal, but normally she'd be working while talking, something she did to everyone. Instead she was looking directly at Colonel Young. "I'm tired of dealing with his lack of interest. We have more important things here to be working on than my defunct love life."

"Kira, I…" Young noticed Eli walking into the room. "Good morning, Eli."

"Morning Colonel, Kira. Sorry. Was I interrupting?"

"No, you are fine. The colonel and I are finished anyway." Dr. Amuro turned and left, obviously upset.

After a minute of silence, Eli tried apologizing to Colonel Young. Young held up his hand, "It's all right."

"I honestly didn't mean to…"

"Eli, you don't need to apologize. That talk was going no where fast anyway." He sighed. "Anyone left in the mess?"

"I think Lt. Scott and TJ are still there." Eli told him, relieved.

"Good," and with that the Colonel left the room.

Eli scuffed his foot on the floor. Then he noticed Kira's mp3 player on the terminal. It wasn't unusual to see her with it all the time. When they had discovered the battery charger, she was ecstatic that she would be able to still listen to her music and have her laptop to use. Everyone with personal electronics was allowed a certain number of recharges each week, as ordered by Dr. Rush and Colonel Young. This was to ensure that they wouldn't break the device, nor inadvertently cause power issues on the ship. They had gone through the experience of _Destiny_ recharging its power supply and no one was keen to go through that again.

Picking up the tiny device, Eli headed off to find Kira. Soon, he came upon her talking to Dr. Rush in one of the hallways. Only he didn't understand what they were saying. _Great_, Eli thought, _Gaelic again_. He noticed the two would speak it when they discussed things they wanted to keep under wraps until they had more information, just to make sure that people didn't overhear them and jump to conclusions that could prove disastrous. Whatever they were talking about, it was upsetting Kira more than her talk with the Colonel. Rush didn't seemed pleased either. Finally, the older man stormed off, roughly brushing past Eli.

Tentatively, Eli walked up to Kira. "Hey, you left this on the terminal. I didn't want anything to happen to it."

"Thank you," she said, taking the player.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Eli asked her, "Rough day?"

"And it's barely started," she nodded. "I think I am going to follow TJ's advice."

"That would be?"

"Take a day off." As she began to walk away, Eli reached a hand out to her. She looks at him questioningly.

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here." Eli never had many friends, but he hoped he could count Kira as one of them.

The look of defeat left her face and was replaced by a happy one, laced with hope. "Eli, when I am ready, I will. Thank you." Reaching out, Kira hugs the young man who reminded her of Daniel. Then without another word she leaves, heading for the crew quarters.

Eli was dumbfounded. One thing he noticed about Kira was a lack of physical contact toward anybody, except maybe Colonel Young.

"It's a rarity. You should feel honored."

Colonel Young had come into the hall behind Eli. The math genius decided he needed a few answers. "What's going on? It seems like it's pick on Kira day."

"It's all right, Eli." Colonel Young moved closer, crutch in tow. "Dr. Amuro is just going through a rough spot, not unlike the rest of us. And she is a very private person. It seems you have done in days what has taken us years to do."

"Uh," Eli didn't know how to respond to that. "Sorry?"

"No, it's good. Just keep an eye on her for me would you? She comes from a brand of scientists that suffer from the Jackson disease."

"The Jackson disease?"

Young chuckled. "It befalls scientists that have a difficult time taking care of themselves for long periods of time. A term General O'Neill came up with in response to Dr. Jackson."

Eli thought for a moment. Then he responded seriously with, "Was there a video on that one?"

Young laughed. "No, afraid not!"


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Untitled  
Author: Carrie Key  
Disclaimers: It's MGM, and SciFi (the other way is stupid), and very little of this is mine.  
Summary: Why is Telford such a jerk most of the time?  
Author note: Not so much a one shot anymore. And in case you havn't noticed yet, spoilers do abound here. Tread carefullly should you not want to be spoiled.

Untitled 3/?

Quiet stole over her as she worked; Eli was off with Chloe and the Colonel, and Dr. Rush off somewhere. Kira liked these moments, when she got them, as times to turn off her mp3 player and listen to _The Destiny_. She didn't like the chatter of people for the most part and always used music as a means to focus on her tasks. Crowds were not her thing, and most of the time the visible ear buds would put others off and they would leave her be. And today she wanted to listen to_ Destiny_. Each ship she had been on had its own 'sound', and _Destiny's_ was vastly different. Perhaps it was the age, maybe the design, Kira didn't know. She just enjoyed it.

"Kira?" Colonel Young's voice was heard, but instinct told her it wasn't him. The tone was off, so was the inflection.

She turned around to face the man standing in the doorway. Again, it had been some time since the last time he'd checked up on her, but at least he hadn't been on the ship ignoring her during that time either. "David."

"I was hoping we could talk." He looked nervous, and Kira suspected he really didn't want to be talking to her.

"So, talk." She watched as he fidgeted and acted very unlike himself.

"You should have come to the meeting like General O'Neill requested."

"Why? So he would let you corner me and we talk and everything will be fine between us? No. I have better things to do with my time right now, David. Like now. There are translations that need to be done and information organized so we can work on figuring out more of this ship. Or have you and the rest of Earth forgotten we're trapped here, in space, billions of years away, on a ship that is falling apart? Oh, and did I forget to mention, we are running very short on supplies like water?"

David figured he deserved this from her. She was still hurting, he could see that. "We're getting you, all of you, home, today."

She narrowed her almond eyes at him, not speaking. Kira thought, trying to discern if this was some sort of dream, or if it was him telling her the truth. "Really? Found a power source for the _Destiny_ that you can somehow manage to get back here, from the Milky Way or Pegasus and then we can dial the 'Gate home? Or you've gotten in touch with a new alien race that has the ability to traverse several galaxies in a single bound? Oh, I know? We're going to try one of the most dangerous maneuvers ever; with an aging space ship that we have no idea if it will survive!"

"Kira, for one minute, can you stop being a bitch and let me tell you what will be happening?" He raised his voice. David was growing tired of the snide and short comments. He hoped this thing would work so he could have her home and show her that he really did care for her, and that she could go back to being his Kira.

"So, tell me, David. Don't be so damn cryptic!"

"Like you were told earlier, we've had top scientists working on the power issue, and why Destiny can't dial out to Earth." He took a few steps into the room, heading towards one of the benches on the wall, across form the console she was working on. His idea was that if he sat, she would follow. As he continued talking and going into the finer details of the plan, he saw that she wasn't going to go along with his thoughts or ideas. "We know there are risks, and that there is a possibility that things could go horribly wrong, but I have assurances that a major catastrophe will be averted and all will be safe."

She stood there, with her tiny frame, arms crossed, and her very Japanese features glaring at him. Her long hair was bound up in a messy bun, the kind he used to love to pull down for her, releasing the dark locks with the wavy curls. Colonel Telford was no fool. He was keenly aware that those on board the ship was against him, and that they didn't trust this plan. But he needed to get Kira, in particular off of this ship.

"Why don't you agree with the plan?"

"Because after much thought and reflection, it isn't sound. It's one of desperation and will cause the demise of all on this ship."

"You talked to Rush, then?" David knew when Kira had made up her mind and would not be swayed.

"Of course I did. When Colonel Young said you would be on board the ship and leading this fool hearty mission I made sure to talk it over with him, as well as several of the other scientists here so I could make an informed decision. Trying to drain the power and then using a star to fuel the Stargate? Who came up with that idea? Have they not read all of the mission reports of the SG Teams, especially SG-1? I find it hard to believe that General O'Neill would endorse such a plan. The sun has proven to make wormholes unstable." None of this made any sense. Something else was going on in the background and she didn't like it. Maybe she should have gone back to Earth when General O'Neill requested. There might have been a chance she could bring them all to their senses.

"It was a direct order from the President."

"Then he's a fool. He has no idea what it is that really happens out here. He should have more faith in Jack and the rest of the Stargate Program and tell the IOA to jump the nearest bridge."

"Kira, please. I don't want this ending up as an argument. I'd rather spend our time talking…"

"We have been talking, David. You've said some words and I've said a few, we both have listened to the other. That's called talking."

"You know that's not what I mean…"

"I have no wish to…"

"Kaitlin and I had a long talk the other day." He interrupted her. "She enlightened me to a few things that I didn't see happening in our relationship, things I really wish you had hit me over the head harder about."

"You think to soften me up a bit by bringing up my sister? The one that can't stand you? That somehow me being here has helped to bring you two closer?" Kira's older sister was famous for her dislike of her brother-in-law.

"Daniel helped me." He stated sheepishly.

"You really are a coward, aren't you?" Kira sighed. "You knew Kaitlin adores Daniel and so you pulled him in on your little journey to try and win me back."

"I thought I was doing pretty well, until I got scared and disappointed you."

She smacked her hand down on the console, "Please David! You better not finish that thought. I'm already at wit's end with you. I think, right now it would be best if you just went ahead with your little fool plan, and allow me to continue on with my work here. Regardless of what happens General O'Neill will want whatever information I retain from this ship." Kira took her ear buds, placing them in her ear and turned her mp3 player on. She returned her attention to the console before her, continuing on with her task of sorting through the information that it contained within.

But David was not done, not yet. Standing up he grabs her arm, forcing her to look at him. "You need to listen to me, Kira. We cannot go on like this!"

"Didn't I tell you I was busy? Oh wait, that's just like when I told you to sign the divorce papers, and I doubt you have." She yanks her arm away from him. "Touch me again, and Colonel Young will be wondering why he can't walk anymore."

He knew it wasn't a veiled threat, and he should take her seriously. One of the conditions of using the stones was to not to do intentional harm to the host body. But he could not give up. "I love you, Kira, and I want my wife back!" Cupping her face rather harshly, Telford kissed Kira, throwing himself into it.

Kira acted on instinct. She didn't intend to hurt Colonel Young's body, but this was wrong on many levels. First, they were in the middle of a divorce and second, this wasn't even his body. She shoved him away, followed by her fist connecting with his chest, knocking the wind out of him. "What the hell, David!"

He just laid there on the ground, hand to his chest, looking up at her. Embarrassment, hurt and anger mixed themselves onto his face. The sounds of running footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. David quickly rose up, not feeling well as he did. He couldn't let the others see him on the ground. "Have it your way, Kira. You know where I'll be when you decide to grow up and talk like an adult."

"Fine, off with you then."

He left as Lt. Scott and Sgt. Riley came in. "Colonel, sir? Everything all right?"

"Fine. Are we ready to start on the repairs?" He kept on walking. Scott followed, Riley lingered for a moment.

"You ok, Dr. Amuro?" Riley asked her.

"I will be once this is all said and done."

****

He searched her out again. This was something that wasn't going to wait. After it happened, they dropped out of FTL, and he found himself in a very precarious position, David needed to tell Kira. Make sure she understood that they needed to get her home now. He wasn't going to allow Young to use his body like that again. She was in her quarters, packing her things, as everyone had been instructed to do. They had to have their things ready and in the 'Gate room before they finished the final phase of the mission.

"Kira…"

"I have nothing more to say to you David. So don't." She was folding up her few pieces of clothing and placing them into the duffel bag.

"I just thought you'd like to know what your Colonel Young is up to, with _my_ body."

From the corner of her eye she could see he was stressed. And not the high strung stress that was typical for him. Something had happened. "What is it?" Placing her things back on the bed, she reached out to him, taking his hands.

"We just dropped out of FTL for a moment, and it must have interfered with the stones, somehow. I saw, or rather, experienced what Young was up to."

"What?" She could imagine what was coming, but she rather hoped that it wasn't.

"He was with his wife and they were having sex." He paused. "With my body," he finished quietly.

"What?!" Kira was in shock. She expected something like this from several of the others on board, and vice versa. It was one of the reasons she didn't like using the stones.

"One minute I was talking to Lt. Scott and the next, there she was, on top of me." He let her lead him to the bed to sit.

"How could he…?" Kira was beyond flabbergasted. Someone she considered a friend, using her husband's body in this manner… It didn't sound like Everett… Then again he'd been determined to go after Emily and keep her with him, almost as determined as David seemed to be with her today.

"They never laid down any concrete rules since the Communication Stones primary purpose was to send reports more easily."

"Well, they should have." If David wanted her more sympathetic to him, this is what it took. Kira was beyond upset, and felt a few emotions for David that she had buried deep resurface.

"I can't blame him, I just… It would have been nice to be privy to what he wanted to do."

"And what? Ask permission? Would you have said yes? I can't imagine that would have gone over well. 'Telford, I'm going to use your body to have a conjugal visit with my wife who hates my guts. Is it all right with you?' I can see you decking him for even thinking it." She ran her hand up and down his back.

"I know the thought has crossed my mind, use his body, or somebody's, so I could be with you again…"

"And I know it was quickly followed with a vision me shouting a resounding 'Hell no!'." She gave him her stern look.

"Of course it was. I know you better than that." They looked at each other for a long while; both deep in reflection. "Where did I go wrong with you, Kira?"

"Where did we go wrong with each other, David? You weren't the only one to screw things, up and you know it."

****

Colonel Everett Young walked through the halls of _The Destiny_. He'd heard about what Telford had done from everybody. Rather, the many things he did. Greer said he was fine, and had expected Telford to throw him in the brig like that. Dr. Rush, TJ and everyone else were getting over having Telford in command temporarily. But Lt. Scott did enlighten him to another incident with Dr. Amuro. So he thought he best go and check on her. Camille and TJ both said she was upset the last they saw her. He imagined she would be at the thought of her husband being a coward when things looked like they were going downhill quick on the ship.

She was on the Observation Deck, looking out over the ship, her legs tucked underneath her on the bench. He could tell she'd been crying, her cheeks tear streaked and her arms crossed tightly in front of her. "Dr. Amuro? Kira?"

"Colonel Young." Her voice sounded less than pleased.

"Lt. Scott told me that there was an incident between you and Telford. You all right?" He sat down next to her, feeling the cold coming off of her in waves.

"Oh, I'm fine, Colonel. David and I have come to an understanding. I think it's you and he that need to have a talk, don't you?" She didn't bother looking at him.

"What are you talking about?" He hoped that when things went crazy with the stones and the FTL drive that Telford hadn't realized what was happening between him and Emily.

"How could you do that, Everett? I know you and David don't like each other, but how could you morally and ethically have sex with Emily using my husband's body?"

Young didn't know where to start. Yeah, it was messed up he'd done that, but who could blame him? It was his wife… but then he didn't take into consideration the fact that Telford was a married man, happily or no. "I..."

"Nothing you say right now will make it better. I feel betrayed, besides grossed out. I considered you a friend. We may not be close, but I figured we were close enough that you wouldn't do something like this, never dreamed you would." She stood up, wiping fresh tears from her face. Finally she looked at him. "Let's make this perfectly clear, Colonel Young. You are in charge here on this ship. I will follow orders and do what I need to do to help ensure the survival of all aboard this hunk of junk. You have no worries of that. Things will be as though nothing happened that should not have happened."

"However, Colonel, should you be looking for a friend, look somewhere else. I am not that anymore. Perhaps one day, when things have cooled off and we can resolve this issue, but not now." Kira finished and began walking away.

Young reached out for her hand. "Kira. I don't know what to say. Other than I'm sorry…"

"It's not good enough, Colonel. That is my husband's body you used. I cannot forgive that."

She left him alone on the Deck, only the sound of Destiny moving through space could be heard.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Untitled  
Author: Carrie Key  
Disclaimers: It's MGM, and SciFi (the other way is stupid), and very little of this is mine.  
Summary: Why is Telford such a jerk most of the time?  
Author note: Not so much a one shot anymore. And in case you havn't noticed yet, spoilers do abound here. Tread carefullly should you not want to be spoiled. Properties listed here that I do not own nor are they related to SGU in anyway: Spider-Man and Inuyasha. They are owned by their respective companies. Also, I am not a doctor. I have, however, gone through what Kira goes through in this chapter. So it is based off of my XP only, and not anyone else's.

Untitled 4/?

Things were calm and quiet in the infirmary, which was welcomed happily by Lt. Tamara Johansen. Life had become very interesting when an away team brought back two curious kinos that were from the future, depicting an illness and the cure. One was very scary to watch and the other was just short. But thanks to both of the kinos, once Dr. Volker started showing signs of the illness described, they were able to quickly execute the cure and now everybody was doing better. Well, almost everyone.

Lying in an infirmary bed not far from where TJ was organizing supplies was Dr. Kira Amuro. She hadn't shown any of the symptoms from the micro organisms in the water, only one of a very small handful not too. But everyone was inoculated, as a precaution. A few hours after she had been given the shot, the historian came to the infirmary complaining of overpowering cramps. TJ at first thought of it as a reaction to the anti-venom they used. Once Dr. Amuro began listing all of her symptoms, it quickly became clear that it was not.

"How is she?"

Earlier, while Dr. Amuro's condition worsened, Colonel Young had paid a visit to see how she was. It wasn't long after she had discovered him in there that she became increasingly violent and wanted him out of the room. TJ had no choice in the need to keep her patient calm, she ordered the colonel out of the infirmary. "Resting, finally."

By the look on her face, he could tell that she was unsure of allowing him back in the infirmary. "Don't worry, I won't stay long. I figure it's best she stays calm."

"Yes, I would agree." TJ gave him a small smile.

"So, was it a nasty reaction to the inoculation?" He let his gaze fall on the small woman.

"Not really. I believe it's what caused it, and I think I may have to instigate some new protocols for our people."

"Oh?" As far as Young knew, and as long as he'd known Kira, she was never sick. Never had the chicken pox, the flu or even the common cold. And most of that information was garnered from her personnel file when they were picking people to go to Icarus. The few times he'd been stationed with her, he never saw her take a sick day. "What happened, then?"

"She doesn't want me telling anybody, but I feel I need to disclose this information to you, sir. It reminded me that we are all human and that certain precautions are going to have be taken. Had I known what her condition was before giving her the inoculation, we might have prevented this from happening."

"Wait…" He recalled a prior conversation with Kira, when she mentioned that she and Telford had started talking again, when she was on Icarus before winding up on _The Destiny_. He'd actually picked at her a little, hinting at the fact that whenever he saw them talking when they were all at the SGC it involved a lot of them leaving for the bedroom. She had blushed deeply, but never denied that they had been intimate during her time on the base. "Please tell me she wasn't…"

"She was." TJ looked as though she could cry.

"Dammit." How was this going to be handled? Kira barely wanted anything to do with him since she informed him that she knew what he and Emily had done with Telford's body. She kept the peace, and never uttered a word to anybody… "We need to get Colonel Telford here…"

As Young started to leave, TJ grabbed his arm. "Sir, I don't think that is a good idea. Dr. Amuro didn't seem very keen on the idea of having him here. In fact she almost became as enraged at the idea as she was to have you here."

"But…"

"Everett, life is difficult enough on this ship to have David go into overdrive again. I don't think we'll be able to survive it this time. I doubt Rush could use the ship to his advantage for something like that." Dr. Amuro sat up, slowly, wincing.

"How are you feeling?" TJ let go of Young's arm, heading for her patient.

"Tired. Sore. I must admit, the last time I felt like that was when I had been captured by Amaterasu." She took the offered cup of water from TJ.

"I can have David here, if you want him?" Colonel Young tentatively spoke up.

"No. Its best he doesn't know. I can understand TJ's reasoning for breaching the doctor-patient code for you, but it goes no further than that. Everyone else can believe it was a reaction to the medicine." She closed her eyes briefly as she felt a small ripple of pain course through her.

TJ took her hand for her, squeezing it gently. "They should be much less frequent, almost nonexistent soon."

"Thank you, TJ. I'm glad you were there when your sister experienced hers. Otherwise we'd be still wondering what was going on."

"I'm glad I was there for you both." Truth be told, TJ wished she never had to go through something like that again. The first time, when her sister lost her first baby, was hard enough. At least there had been a hospital near by. Here, with Dr. Amuro it had been much scarier. She had limited knowledge when it came to many things and TJ feared a few times that Dr. Amuro was going to die. Her sister hadn't gone through as much pain.

TJ went about checking Kira's vitals, and Kira sat there quietly as she did. She noted Everett was still in the room, and even though she hated him for what he had done, she found some comfort in a familiar face being present. "Everett, I need your word that this goes no further than this room. I do not want anyone else knowing, most definitely David."

"Well, if we go forward with TJ's newly proposed health protocols, then people are going to wonder."

"Tell them that it has been something brewing for a while." She took another sip of her water. "With our current situation it's not the best thing to have a baby around."

"I guess not. Alright, I'll think of something with TJ. You get some rest. I'll have Eli and a few others cover your shifts." Before he left the room, Young's face softened. "For what its worth, Kira, I am sorry."

"We both are." Kira barely whispered.

****

"So, how long do you think TJ will keep you in here?" Eli was visiting with Kira. He brought her laptop and they were going through her pictures and videos.

"Not sure. Here, look at this one…" She clicked on an icon, bringing up a video. "That's my sister with her sons."

"Wow. She looks nothing like you." He laughs as he watches Kira's family.

"She favors Mom, while our brother and I look more like Dad. That's Devon and that would be Mamoru." She points to each boy.

"Like in Sailor Moon?" Eli dodged a playful swat.

"No, more like my uncle." She gives him a funny look. "Though they do have a cat named Chibiusa."

"Now, you're pulling my leg!" he laughed.

"Nope. It's a white cat, and a horrible bitch at that."

"What about this one, with the kids in the costumes…?" He goes ahead and clicks on the video, ignoring Kira's protests. He watches as the boys dressed as a vampire and Spider-Man, her nephews run into a room decorated for Halloween, being chased by a large man dressed as a werewolf, complete with mask. They are laughing and giggling as the man roars and pretends to stalk them. Kira can be heard laughing in the background. They are all speaking in Japanese, the boys still laughing and trying to dodge the werewolf. Finally one of the boys lands a lucky shot between the werewolf's legs causing him to fall to the ground, rolling in pain and cursing in English. "Wait, is that?" Eli looks over at Kira, and sees a few tears on her cheeks. "It is him, isn't it?"

Kira nods, wiping a tear away. "He always liked spending Halloween with them. Since Kaitlin hated the holiday, David made sure I was able to get the boys so we could take them out. It's one of his favorites."

Eli turned back to the video, where he saw Colonel Telford, minus the mask. He was wincing in pain, but allowed both kids to climb all over him. _"You know, Kira, I only put up with this because it makes you smile."_ he heard Telford say.

"_Kaitlin said if the boys are going to learn Japanese to be able to pass as somewhat native when she takes them to Japan, we all need to be speaking it around them, all the time."_

"_I know, there are just some things I say better in English."_

"I know this is gonna sound bad, and I am sorry, but wow. He wasn't always an ass, huh?"

"No, there were times when he was the most charming man in the world." Kira reached with her hands, wiping her eyes.

They were silent for the rest of the video, which ended with Devon taking the camera and chasing his brother with it. The very last scene was of Telford and Kira, dressed as Kagome from _Inuyasha_, kissing.

"Kagome?"

"I would have dressed as Sango, but my sister didn't want the boys to play with any of her weapons, especially the Hiraikotsu." As she spoke, Kira starred at the paused video of her and David.

"Want to talk about it?" Colonel Telford was a topic of conversation that he rarely broached with Kira. He normally let her bring him up. But she seeemed like she really wanted to talk to somebody about him. At least that's how Eli saw it.

"What? About David? Why?" She closed the video player, and brought up the music player. Soon there were sounds of quiet classical music playing.

"Normally you don't bring out the soft muisc unless you are upset." He reaches for his water bottle, taking a sip. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"No. I just don't know where to begin. What do you want to know?"

"How about how you two first met? The beginning is usually the best place to start." He adjusted himself in his seat, so he wasn't so much on the bed anymore.

"It's not a short tale. There's a little bit of background info you'll need." She closed the laptop, silencing the music.

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, he'd actually been apart of the SGC for about a year before we met. He never concerned himself with the 'scientists' and I rarely went off world. I was mainly there to help keep Daniel organized. David had just been given a promotion to Major and this his own SG Team, SG-14." Kira set her laptop on the little table beside the bed.

"How long had you been a part of the program?" Eli watched her carefully. He didn't fully buy the whole 'bad reaction' excuse for her being in here.

"Five years. It was the first year they started letting me go out more. General Hammond saw how overwhelmed Daniel was becoming and suggested that I take a more active role and get more off world expierence. So, whenever they needed someone to translate, record ruins, or the like, I was the go to gal."

"So you two were put on the same team, then?" He really wished he'd had a kino with him. Eli always loved it when Kira would talk about the early days of the Stargate Program.

"No. We actually were never officially a part of the same team. After we met, sometimes I would join his team. No, we met on P3X-9674, a planet controlled by Ameterasu."

****

Kira was being led away to her cell, though she guessed dragged was a better word. She could barely stand, let alone walk. Apparently Ameterasu had grown tired of Kira's lack of cooperation. Her guards were none too kind in helping her to her prison as they opened the door and threw her in. She landed with a decided "Umpf!" as she crashed into her counterpart, Dr. Ryan Gene. He wasn't in any better shape, and from what Kira could tell, he'd passed out again. Or had finally given into death like the rest of their team.

For once in her life, Kira could admit to not being able to recall much of what happened. Everything came in flashes. She could remember Ameterasu's face, the ruins that the Goa'uld had stolen them from, the other six members of her team sent to explore them, and the pain. No, her memory did not fully kick in until she'd been imprisioned for nearly six months. She and Ryan were the last ones, and they barely survived. On the day that Ameterasu had promised them death, was when he came. She could still see his face clearly, the stern, yet worried look on his face.

"We have to get them out, now." He had said.

"Sir, look at them, we can't move them. I don't know why she didn't just put them in the sarcouphougus." Garrison's words still rang true. Ameterasu had used healing devices, but not the sarcouphougus.

"Then find me an alternative way to get them to the rendevous point. Brennen will be leaving without us if we don't get there soon." He hadn't even introduced himself yet, but started adminsteriing some first aid. Not that there was much he could do for most of her injuries.

"I guess if we found a cart, or a strecher…" Garrison went off in search of whatever he could find to help them.

"Wh…who?" Kira had managed to choke out. She could feel the darkness threatening again.

"I'm Major Telford with SG-14, ma'am. We're here to rescue you." He helped her take a few sips of water from his canteen.

That was when the darkness took over. When she awoke next, Kira was on board a Tel'Tak, being held by very strong arms. "Dr. Amuro, stop struggling! You're safe!" His voice was firm, but she could detect a hint of fear.

Opening her eyes, Kira relised she'd had a nightmare. One that had been real. "Where… are we?"

"On our way to the Alpha Base." David was still holding her. "I think you poped open a stictch." He lifted up his hand from her stomach to reveal blood. Thankfully not much.

"Oh," was all she could muster.

"Garrison!" He called out to his teamate, who apparently was the one responsible for patching her and Ryan up.

****

"So, that's it?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "That's how you two met?" He had a feeling there were somethings she left out, but he didn't press.

"Yes. He rescued me and my collegue from Ameterasu. She wanted to gain more info about the Tau'Ri from us, but we didn't cooperate that well. I am still shocked we lasted that long." Kira's hand went down to her stomach.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"When did you two start seeing each other?"

Kira laughed. "To hear him tell it, right away! When the truth is I made him wait and wait. I was mean to him, trying to discourage him. I wanted out of the whole military relationships, unlike what my parents, siblings and everyone else in my family did. I wanted a nice, civilian man who I didn't have to worry about."

"Guess he won, huh?" Eli noticed her hand was still on her stomach. Shadow pain from remebering her captivity, maybe?

"After almost four months of him checking up on me, making sure all my needs were met while I was healing up…" She smiled, "He even helped me with my physical therapy. I daresay Daniel was the first to clue me in to how David felt about me."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. I was seriously trying not to pay him any attention. But he wouldn't give up, even after Daniel told me." Sighing, Kira continued, "David finally was successful in asking me out. He had tickets to a Mel Brooks comedy fest over in Aspen, and I couldn't take it anymore. Not only did I want to see Mel Brooks' films, but I wanted to get this Fly Boy to leave me alone."

"Awwww… I bet you two had a great time."

"I did. Him, not so much. He learned from Daniel that Mel Brooks is a favorite of mine and he figured it was worth a shot. He couldn't stand Mel Brooks. But he sat there, through six hours of films." She giggled. "I decided that if he could sit there through that, that he was serious about persuing me, so I gave him a chance."

Eli didn't know what to say. He still didn't like Telford, but it was nice to see Kira smiling. Even if she was a bit sad about it. So they just sat there, in silence, enjoying each other's company.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Untitled  
Author: Carrie Key  
Disclaimers: It's MGM, and SciFi (the other way is stupid), and very little of this is mine.  
Summary: Why is Telford such a jerk most of the time?  
Rating:T for teen. Some cussing, but nothing worse than prime time TV. Author note: Not so much a one shot anymore. And in case you havn't noticed yet, spoilers do abound here. Tread carefullly should you not want to be spoiled.

Untitled 5/?

"Your wife is doing well, then?" Emily asked him, taking a small bite of food.

True, David had no idea why he even went to her that one day after the LRC stones malfunctioned due to the FTL drive onboard _Destiny_. But he did and he was actually grateful. He had someone to talk to and commiserate with. Emily Young certainly did not deserve the man she married. "I guess she is doing alright. I saw her a few days ago. They had to deal with a ship wide illness and she'd had a nasty reaction to the medicine that cured it."

David Telford sat across from Emily at his dining table. They'd decided after the last confrontation with Young that it would be best not to meet at her place anymore. Of course David didn't tell her about the incident with Young shortly after and exactly how he acquired the marks and bruises on his face. He chalked it up to having to settle down a disgruntled recruit. "Everyone is fine, though."

"Good. I wish I could meet her. Kira sounds like a nice person." Emily sipped her wine. "And she is certainly beautiful," She gestured to a photo of Kira and David resting on a nearby table. The picture was of happier times, during a visit to her family in Japan.

"That she is. I believe we'd been together two years when that was taken; at her uncle's home outside Kyoto." He let his gaze linger on the picture for a minute.

"You must miss her."

"I do." He had fixed up one of Kira's favorite dishes, Hibachi Steak and Shrimp with lots of rice, and veggies. Emily seemed to be enjoying it.

"I hope you don't think me being nosy or something just as bad, but I couldn't help but notice the papers sitting out on the coffee table…" She looked sheepishly at him.

"Yeah… It's ok." He tried to reassure her. Kira still hadn't given him a definite answer if she wanted to go ahead with the proceedings or not. "We've actually been separated for about a year now, and before they ended up on _Destiny_ we were actually starting to talk about working things out."

"I'm sorry. That's horrible… Well, not horrible that you guys were talking about working it out, but that this situation doesn't really give you the chance to do so." She felt bad for him. To have the chance and to have it ripped away. David seemed like a man who would try, unlike her own husband, who seemed to be a lost cause.

"Well, it has helped us to talk more. In fact, a few weeks ago we had a long talk about 'us'." He conveniently left out that it had been prompted by what Emily and her husband had been doing with his body.

Emily smiled, "Good. Communication certainly helps bridge those gaps."

David nodded his head.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what caused the separation?" Again, Emily looked sheepish, like she had no right to ask him anything concerning Kira.

He picked up his wine glass, letting the liquid chase after the piece of steak he'd eaten. "Well, we just fell out of touch. It wasn't just one of us either. And I had ignored all the warning signs. She did try to talk to me about it, but I was stupid. I didn't realize how stupid until I returned from a mission one day to find her and her things gone from the house." He remembered that day clearly. It had been one of the worst days of his life. Being chased by Lucien Alliance and then coming home to find her gone… He'd been a wreck until Garrison had forced him to wake up.

Emily looked so sad. "Where did she go?"

"I had no idea until her former boss, Daniel Jackson, told me. He wasn't too happy with me, but he said that she was in Japan with her sister." He sighed. "I tried to go after her, but Daniel wouldn't let me. He said that she needed some space."

"She and Daniel were close, then?"

"Yeah, pretty close. Not like he was with his own team at the SGC, but she had been his PA for years before she took over his position when he was given a special position for Homeworld Security. In fact, when we met I had rescued her from a particularly nasty Goa'uld, and the way he fawned over her, and the way General O'Neill had requested my team take special care of her, I thought she and Jackson were lovers. Thankfully Daniel saw how I was looking at her and told me to go after her. He was too funny when I asked him about the two of them!" David laughed, recalling the wide eyed look on the linguist's face. "He couldn't get over it, and wouldn't let me forget it."

"That was sweet of him though, to encourage you to go after her." Emily sighed.

"I'm sorry; this must be making it hard on you, considering the issues between you and Everett…"

"No, not really. If anything it's helping me to make up my mind on what to do with him." Emily got up, taking her wine glass, "Why not show me some more pictures of Kira? I'm sure you have more somewhere?"

"Actually, not many here. A lot of the photos we have are either with her on her laptop, or in storage in Colorado." He stood up, leading her into the living room. "We never really used this place. I mainly got it so we'd have some place to stay other than a hotel when one of us had to be in DC." A few years ago they always seemed to be in DC, and the hotel accommodations were not always desirable, especially when they ended up sharing a room with someone else due to the hotel overbooking. David put his foot down and the next morning went out and purchased the small home. He had handed Kira the keys, telling her to decorate however she wanted, he didn't care, so long as he didn't have to not be able to do what he wanted to do to her again. She laughed at him, but rewarded him with a happy and appreciative kiss.

"I see there aren't many decorations here…" Emily observed.

He walked over to the shelves lining the wall, where a few books and a few swords lay. "No, Kira didn't want to bother with a lot of decorations for here. About the only fully decorated room is the bedroom." He pulled one of the swords off of the shelf, still in its scabbard. "This is hers. A gift to her on our wedding day from her father, before he passed away."

"A samurai sword?"

"A tachi, actually. Slightly longer and more curved than a katana, which most people call Samurai swords." He slowly unsheathed the blade, watching it gleam in the light coming from the lamp in the corner of the room.

"It's beautiful. But why would he give her a sword for her wedding present? Is it a Japanese thing?" She eyed the sword warily. She trusted David, but weapons always made her uneasy.

"Actually he gave it to her as joke," He chuckled. "He handed it to her and told her to use it on me should I step out of line."

"So, has she ever used it? On you?"

He sheathed the sword, "No, not on me. However, there was this one time after we had gotten back from a rough mission and we fell asleep in the living room. Somebody was breaking in, and she was the first to react. The closest thing she had to grab was this sword, and she scarred the living daylights out of the guy! He actually fainted!"

Emily laughed with him, picturing the event in her mind. It was difficult to picture the obviously tiny woman with that large sword in her hands, wielding it as a weapon, but then again, it was hard to imagine her husband was billions of light years away on a space ship. "She knows how to use it?"

"Her father and mother were both military. Each of the kids was trained at an early age to defend themselves and in the use of multiple weapons. Kira doesn't like to brag about it, but she's better with a sword than a gun." He placed it back on the shelf. "She can shoot, but she's horrible at aiming. Same with any long range weapon. She can't aim to save her own life. Close combat however, she can kick some ass. Her sister is superior with it, and their brother was one of the best martial artists and weapons experts I'd ever seen."

"Was? Is it just Kira and her sister now?" He had mentioned that his in-laws had died within the last five years, only months apart from each other, but this was the first indication that the brother hadn't survived.

"Saito. A Sergeant in the US Army. I'd actually met him and never made any connection between him and Kira until I saw a picture of hers of him. He died three years before I met her. It was a training exercise gone wrong in Iraq. Some insurgents bombed the training field and he never made it." They had both made themselves comfortable on the couch.

"That's horrible." She placed her wine glass down on the coffee table.

They continued on talking for sometime, and not all centered on Kira either. They eventually went on to the subject of Emily and Everett. And then onto what life was like aboard _The Destiny_. And on how they wished they could get everyone home soon. An idea that David wished whole heartedly that he could make happen. But Young and Rush were both working against him.

****

It seemed more and more that bad days were a regular occurrence on _The Destiny_. And after yesterday had been a decent day as well. It seemed to start the moment she woke up. TJ wanted to see her for a follow up and to see how she was doing in general. Young had made TJ the shrink for the ship, a job that the medic confided in her that she didn't really want. At least that visit went well, even if TJ was still smothering her, concerned about hormones and post partum depression. She hadn't even had the child, and there was mention of PPD. Reminders of what she had lost she didn't need.

Then off to the chair room to see what Rush had been able to garner. She no longer spent most of her time in the Control room. Neither did Eli, for that matter. Lately he'd been working on some project for Young and she threw herself into her work for Rush and the other scientists. If someone wasn't sure of a translation or didn't feel like dealing with Rush, they went to her. Today she hoped Rush would tell her to go away, and she could go back to the control room and blissfully work alone.

That was not to be, apparently. Nope, today Rush and Young decided to hash it out over the chair again. Apparently Rush had convinced someone to sit in it, and Lt. Scott and Sgt. Greer had been able to yank them out before the chair grabbed hold of them. Young was dressing Rush down almost hysterically. So, she stood there, in the background, waiting for the two to finish. When he was done, Young grabbed her arm. "We need to talk!" He barked at her, dragging her along behind him.

Kira tried freeing her arm, as he had a tight grip, actually hurting her. "Everett, stop! You're hurting me!"

"We are going to talk, Kira. We need to put a tight leash on that husband of yours." He spat at her through gritted teeth.

"It's been three days since he was here last. What could he have possibly done that you couldn't talk to me about before?" She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and backed up a few steps from him.

"Not here." He knew others were paying him close attention.

"And why not? You're doing an excellent job of attracting the attention of everybody on this ship." Going back to bed was sounding better and better.

"Just come with me so we can discuss him, all right?" He realized he should have waited until a bit after dealing with Rush, that he was taking some of his anger and frustration with the man out on her. But then again, every chance he though he'd get to talk with her, something always came up. It was now or never.

"Fine. But yank my arm again and you'll loose yours."

They walked in silence all the way to his office, with Young brushing everyone off that came near them. Once there, he closed the door. He beckoned her to sit, but she remained standing. She stood with her back straight, legs slightly apart and her arms crossed. The look on her face spoke volumes of anger and embarrassment. Young regretted his actions all the more. "You should sit for this…"

"Nope, standing is fine." If he was going to act like a jackass, then she was going to show him how much of a bitch she could be.

"Fine." He honestly didn't know how to begin this conversation. "My last trip to Earth, I saw something upsetting. And it has bearing for you."

"Really?" She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"How much do you trust David to not stray?"

"Oh for the love of… Everett, this is ridiculous. David told me he'd been making friends with Emily. It was right after you two used his body. He didn't know why he went to her at first; he was still reeling from one minute being on the ship and the next being with her. He's not sleeping with her, if that's where you're taking this." _Was he so caught up in his own life, and his dislike for David that he couldn't see what was happening?_, she wondered.

"Is that what he told you?" Young was pissed. David got to her first to cover his tracks.

"Yes! And I do trust him. Regardless of what our relationship is like, neither one of us are going to stray from the other. We made some pretty serious vows, and I don't know about the rest of the planet, but the way he and I were raised, you promise something, it's serious until the very end." She hoped he caught the hidden implication in there. It wasn't common knowledge about him and TJ, but a few people were aware of the relationship the two had shared.

"Then tell me why he was looking real cozy with Emily, sharing a few drinks, at my own house?" The sight of seeing Telford there, standing that close to her, it made him so mad.

"Look, all he is doing is offering an ear for her, and in return she's offering him one. I'm really not in the mood for these little games today, Everett. Just because Emily can't trust you, doesn't mean you can't trust her, nor can I trust David." She felt so tired all of a sudden. Tired of dealing with the Colonel, tired of dealing with Rush, tired of dealing with this ship.

"That's not what it looked like to me. And he's telling Emily…" Young was getting flustered. "He has the balls to lie to her! He's telling her that I'm still sleeping around on her!" This was not going the way he wanted it too. The problem with Kira is that she was a civilian, and one that was raised military. She knew she didn't have to follow him, and she knew how to handle him. Right now, it was her in control and not him.

"Well, are you?" She shook her head. "You're going on and on about how David is sleeping with Emily and it doesn't look good for how you are ranting. Is it because of whatever happened between you and him long ago, or does it have to do with the fact that you may actually be still cheating on her? Which is it, Everett?"

Her question took him back. Were his actions really saying the latter part of what she said? Did he really portray the visage of a guilty man? "I'm not sleeping with her. We broke that off a while ago."

"You're sure? Because you can't bullshit a bullshitter. I've spent long enough dealing with bureaucratic nonsense that I can read people pretty well, Everett. And either you are still with TJ, thinking about starting it up again or something else is going on, and because of the issues between you and David you've decided to take it out on us. And if that is the case, then you need to go have a nice long talk with TJ since she is doing the evaluations of everyone. And then you need to leave me and David alone." She closed the short distance between them, her nose just inches from his. "Trust me, Everett. I may be pretty passive and let you, Rush and Wray run everything. But make no mistake that I can become one hell of a pain in your ass, and I will have General O'Neill and the entire Homeworld Security breathing down your neck."

"So you're handing out threats now?" He knew she'd be good to her word, and all it would take is a few well placed words to certain crew members that resented him for being in charge and he'd have a full scale mutiny on his hands. She may not be the most liked person on board the ship, but many held a lot of respect for her. They were all aware of her tenure with the Stargate Program, and the amount of knowledge she held. Kira also had an ace up her sleeve. Out of all the civilians she could handle Rush better when he got into one of his snits.

"You can call that a promise. I still believe this crew needs you, Colonel Young. But you know as well as I do, that it would not take much at all to throw the balance of power out of whack. I don't want to, as it is just a stupid childish game, but you are giving me few choices here. I promised I'd cooperate with you when you abused my husband, but the friendship is over. That certainly has not changed." She knew she was probably going too far with all of this, but what could she do? What Everett was doing to her and David was wrong. Yeah, David might be feeding Emily some lies, but then again, it might be he's reading the same thing off of Young that she had been. "Leave me and David alone. I'm not asking, I am telling. You are lucky he didn't go to Jack with what you did. That was gross misuse of the host body, and you know it. Don't force either of our hands."

With that she turned and left the room. She was playing with fire, and knew it would not go well for her, or for David, but she could no longer sit idle and allow Everett to do this. He was an excellent leader, but he allowed his personal life interfere too often. As she walked the halls of the ship, Kira made her way back to her room. She needed to calm down and collect herself before facing Rush and the others.

Once inside, she sat on the bed, starring at nothing. Then the tears flowed. Life was not getting any easier on _Destiny_.


End file.
